


The Memory of Time

by Candyphoenix



Category: Doctor Who, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Jack yer a Plot Device, M/M, Marauders' Era, Multi, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 14:23:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16286279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candyphoenix/pseuds/Candyphoenix
Summary: What happens when Albus Dumbledore is sent to the future before defeating Gellert Grindelwald?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Edited and largely written on my phone, so please excuse any mistakes!

**Prologue**  

Rain pattered down the darkened alley in London, and he could barely see the tall robed figure in front of him. Jack Harkness was not sure why he was following the man, except that there seemed to be something strange about him, even from this distance. The most obvious being that not a drop of rain marred the black oilskin cape he wore, hood up to obscure his face.  

The man was walking very fast, though Jack could make no guess to where he was going, and he was very certain the man knew he was being followed. Jack had made no pretense this time to hide himself, preferring the pretense of stalking instead. They were approaching a busy, yet narrow road, and Jack closed the distance between them even as the man sped up.  

He did not appear to intend to stop for the traffic, instead stepping out into it without looking. Lights flashed and a horn blared, and without a second thought Jack pushed the man to the ground on the other side of the street. Something crunched under the man, and all Jack saw before the golden light engulfed them was his vortex manipulator, engulfed in golden flame.    

Jack woke with a start, looking around in mild panic, which ebbed when he found the small lane they'd landed in to be empty. It was still night, but...something was wrong. The world beyond the alley had changed, though subtly. Now, different shops lined the lane, and the few cars that drove by were definitely much more modern than he remembered. He swore. Figures he would cross his timeline again. Really, it was getting hard to keep track of it all!  

Jack looked to the man he'd saved from death by speeding vehicle. He was still unconscious, and the hood had slipped off in their fall, revealing a mane of perfect auburn hair and smooth, freckled skin. Jack grinned, perhaps this would not be so bad after all! He was not surprised to find the hair was silky as he brushed it back, searching for a heartbeat in the slender neck. The man's neck was warm, the beat of blood fast under the skin. So he is not dead then, good, Jack thought to himself.  

A low moan, and Jack pulled away, sitting back as the man pulled himself to sitting with difficulty. Looking up through a curtain of hair, he stared at Jack.  

“ _What have you done_?” He removed his hand from his chest, and Jack winced when he saw a ragged, vaguely star shaped wound in his chest. It was crusted with golden pieces that shown brightly in the dark.  

“What...” Albus seemed to notice the wound for the first time. It looked like it would have been serious, but it seemed to heal before his eyes, the red fading as he watched, strands of gold shimmering along the lines of a  blackened, star shaped core. He patted the wound absently before crying out, looking all over his person for something, patting and shaking his robes frantically, until his hands eventually rested on his bare neck.  

“My timeturner! What have you done?”  

“What are you talking about?” So this man wasn't normal after all.  

“My timeturner, what have you done?” He repeated, looking around Jack's shoulder and realizing the changes, “No...I can't...” He scrambled to his feet, and swayed, and Jack caught him before he could hit the ground again.  

“What's your name?” Jack asked. In the wan light from the street, he saw the man's eyes were a brilliant blue, wide and sparkling with tears.  

A blush coloured Albus' freckled cheeks as he realized how close he was to Jack, as he leered down at him. “A...Albus...”  

Albus trembled, partly from lingering pains that stabbed through his chest every time he drew breath, and partly from the closeness of the man that leaned over him. He was certain that this man was a Muggle, but there was something in his eyes that betrayed that he was no ordinary one. Albus could not remember the last time he'd been touched by anyone. This man's touch burned, and he could not stop the blush that crept across his cheeks. 

 “What....what...” His chest hitched and he gasped painfully, but could not get the words out.  

“Jack. Jack Harkness. Can you walk? We need to move, it's not safe here...” Albus leaned on Jack, his hand over the wound on his chest.   “My timeturner....”  

“I don't know what...wait...timeturner?” Jack looked at his vortex manipulator and the glowing numbers that now shined back at him. Suddenly what happened made sense. This “timeturner” of Albus' must have reacted with his own wristband and tossed them around in time. He picked up the oilskin cloak and draped it around Albus' shivering shoulders. Jack scanned the ground for the remains of the device, though he suspected that the wound in Albus' chest answered this question quite well.  

“Hold on to me, we need to get out of here.”  

“What...” 

“Just hold onto me” Albus complied, and Jack triumphantly pushed a button on his wristband and they cracked out of sight. 

One thing Jack had learned about immortality was the importance of having a safe place to return to, no matter what time, no matter what place. In fact, since being manipulated by Torchwood, he had several, and this one they did not know about.

They appeared with a crack in the alley before the passage, and Albus looked like he wanted to question him, but Jack pressed a finger to his lips. They walked in silence, Albus leaning wearily against him as he found the place that he desired. This place was not much, hidden and off the grid to avoid attention. It was here in case something like this happened again, specifically so. Jack would not admit to himself that it was his lonely hope for the Doctor to return that made this place what it was.  

Albus sat on the dusty bed, dazed and more than a bit tired, watching Jack as he lit old oil lamps, illuminating the spartan room. He patted his robes, belatedly searching for his wand, and sighed softly when he found it unharmed in a side pocket. This man was not what he claimed to be, and he was not entirely sure now that he was not a wizard. What they'd done was just like apparation, only he'd done it with the push of a button on his wrist, how curious. 

Albus did not want to reveal too much too soon, mindful still of the Statute of Secrecy and of the precarious position of being in an unknown time.  Something had went terribly wrong, and he thought _I have failed. What will become of me now?_ He fingered the edges of his ruined robe, the healing wound at his fingertips. A ragged star of blackened flesh, dotted with shining pieces of what he assumed was the remains of the timeturner. Filaments of gold snaked out from the center at irregular intervals, pulsing just under his skin like veins. Around the outermost edge scar tissue had formed, and though the redness was nearly gone from the flesh, it was a permanent reminder of his failure. He had definitely noticed that they had come forward several decades in time. _What can I do now?_ He thought, _I have failed everyone, yet it seems the world remains intact..._ Albus' thoughts were interrupted by the dip of the mattress as Jack sat beside him.  

“You're not the only one at a loss. Though I have the advantage of this happening to me before.”  

“I...I have failed.”  

“No, this was an accident. We will get it right.”  

“You don't understand, they had put their hope in me...”  

“I know how that feels. Though I also know that you are not a normal man.” Albus raised his eyebrows at Jack but said nothing. “So what are you?” Albus blushed and gaped at him, how could he ask such a frank question?  

“I'm....human, if that is what you're speaking of,” he said evasively.  

“Not any normal man.”

“Neither are you.”  

“You noticed?” Jack flashed Albus his best grin, noting the faint blush that it triggered.

“You...that device on your wrist...”   “Oh, this? It's my vortex manipulator.”  

“Your what?”  

“It allows me to travel through time and space. And you my friend have fixed it! I owe you a lot just for that.”  

_No, not an ordinary man at all,_ Albus thought, reaching for his wand, _but not like any muggle I have ever met either._ Albus pulled out his maple wand and a small square device that looked like a lighter. He met Jacks eyes and flicked the device twice, and the room went black. To his satisfaction Jack said nothing and did not move. He brought his wand between them and whispered, “Lumos”, bathing their faces in white light. 

Jack grinned at him, “Interesting. I have heard about people like you during my time at Torchwood.”  

“Torchwood?”  

“We protect the world from alien invasion and other things.”  

“Like myself?” Albus could not help smiling.  

“Yes. Most are harmless, but they're always watching.”  

“We're called wizards.” Albus said quietly, eyes downcast.  

“The people that are born with the ability to manipulate the forces of nature via something they call magic.”  

“It's more complicated than just that.” Albus felt offended that Jack could put such a dear thing to him so...mundanely. 

“Is it really? The only difference between us is the method we use to manipulate it.” Jack gestured to his vortex manipulator and back to Albus' lit wand.  

“But...if that's true, there is no such thing as the non magical is there?”  

“Not quite, this kind of technology isn't even possible for another 30 centuries, so in that you are still ahead.”  

Albus narrowed his eyes at Jack. “Thirty centuries! Now you talk nonsense! You can't be....” 

“Not quite, but I come from the 51st century, so I know. I used to be a Time Agent, but I was stranded here because of this thing!” 

“I see....But, even so, wouldn't you age?” Jack laughed, a bitter sound to Albus' ears.  

“No, not swiftly anyways. You see, I cannot die either.”  

Albus glared at Jack, “You're playing with me!”  

“I'm not. I wish I was. It is a pain to think you are finally dead, and then wake up with the business end of a broken bottle imbedded in your chest.” Albus winced, unconsciously covering his timeturner wound.  

“But to have immortality....” he trailed off, the familiar wash of sorrow and hunger overwhelming him for a moment, and he swallowed thickly. “I would give anything, anything for that.” Albus thought of Gellert then, He would have liked to meet this man... 

 “You wouldn't if you were me. You haven't watched your comrades die and be helpless, knowing you won't share their fate. I should have died hundreds of times, and some of those times I deserved it. It's not the wonderful thing you think it is...”  

Hesitantly, long fingers caressed his cheeks, and Albus leaned close to him, some deep hurt shining in his eyes. “If you knew what I lost trying to attain it...”   “I think I can guess...” Jack twined his hands into Albus' hair and their lips met. Albus made a small sound, crushing his lips to Jack's. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Albus woke to silence and a milky light illuminating the room as the only indicator that it was now daylight. For a moment, he reeled in sickness, unable to recall how he had gotten into this position, before his mind unclouded enough to remind him of the previous night. His left hand fell into the cool spot in the dusty sheets that should have held Jack, now only a memory.

Albus cursed and cast the sheets away, disgusted with himself and disappointed that Jack didn't stay. _Serves me right I suppose. I never could pick anyone good for me._ Albus thought bitterly as he found his wand on the table, half buried in an inch of dust, absentmindedly wiping it away as he cast a silent spell to dress himself. The resulting woosh of magic kicked up all of the dust and sent Albus coughing for several minutes, reminding him of the wound he had received.

Upon looking up, he looked into the cloudy reflection of a full length mirror. Curious to see the extent of the wound he'd sustained better, he cast a quick scourgify upon it and gazed upon his reflection. And yelped in shock, stepping back and almost tripping over himself before gathering his will and looking again into the mirror. This cannot be.... His hair was no longer streaked with grey, it was shiny and the precise colour of polished copper again. He lifted a smooth hand to his unwrinkled face in awe. A peculiar device indeed!

He turned away from the mirror and sighed at the hole in his robes, and the now black scar embedded into his chest. The edges of the robe crackled with wild magic, and he found he could not touch it, much less transfigure it back together.

He sighed through his nose in frustration and found the oilskin cloak piled by the door, discarded in last night's passion. He shook it out with a scowl, looking around the room to ascertain that he was correct about Jack not returning. Though he could barely remember, through the haze of sleep and the dull pulse of a headache was starting to make itself known. He looked at the tracks at his feet in the dust, the perfect edge of the sheet where he'd thrown it aside, suggesting that Jack had made his side of the bed before leaving. Albus had no intention of staying to see if he would return. Last night was a mistake. He thought as he slammed the door behind him and stepped into the alley.

Albus took a deep breath and looked around cautiously. The alley was narrow, but there was not a soul to be found. He had not the slightest idea of what he should do first.

“ _Tempus_ ” The time and date hovered at eye level. _September 29th, 1975. Twenty nine years had passed._ He'd been working towards a final standoff with Gellert Grindelwald. There would surely be repercussions. But outside of some unidentifiable yet he assumed modern Muggle technology he saw, nothing looked amiss. By all rights, when he had left 1944, Grindelwald had been an unstoppable force that had its sights set on Britain. Albus had thought he'd been the only thing that could stop him. A few minutes elapsed, where Albus tried to get his bearings and decide what to do next.

Suddenly he was surrounded by wizards in dark clothes, their hoods up.

“We have evidence that you, an underage wizard, used the spell _tempus_ at this location minutes ago.”

“But I am an adult, why would I…?”  
Albus could not finish his sentence, as one of the Aurors cast a nonverbal _silencio_.

Albus twisted furiously as hands clamped around his arms, his wand clattering to the ground. An Auror picked it up and pocketed it. The Auror holding him twisted and Albus felt the familiar, yet unpleasant sensation of apparition.

They landed in front of a dingy phone box in a disused street. Albus felt weak in the knees and the pain of the time turner injury caused him to lose his balance. The Auror grunted and kicked him in the shins, hauling him up and pushing him into the phone box.

Albus wondered why they were using the visitors entrance, but had no time to question it further as the Auror holding him barked "underage sorcery" and they were clanking down to the ministry.

All through the Ministry he was manhandled until they ended up in a crowded office full of propaganda posters and files. Albus felt the _silencio_ lift and he twisted smartly to face the Auror who stepped back and pushed him back into a chair.

“Wait, I'm Albus Dumbledore, doesn't that mean anything to you?” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

The Auror struck him in the head and slammed his hands on either side of Albus. “You picked the wrong man to emulate kid. Albus the Coward hasn't been seen in almost forty years. Who are you really?”

“I...I...” Albus couldn't answer. The thoughts were swirling about in his head, awful throbbing clouding his vision and thoughts. He knew as soon as he saw he was in the future he would be labeled a traitor. Long slow years had went by for the ministry, while for him, had been less than a day surely? How could he explain...his timeturner wound pulsed with pain...the wound!

He ripped his robes in frustration as he fumbled to show the Auror. “Look! Look at this! It's a wound from a timeturner!”

The Auror frowned at him. “Likely story.” He patted the wound a lot more soundly than was really necessary and Albus choked in pain.

“Enough! Auror Duke, you're finished here.” The still cloaked Auror snarled and left. This new Auror was a woman, young, blonde hair in a bun, perpetual scowl. Sadly too young to have remembered Albus Dumbledore.

Albus sighed. He saw no reason to lie, whatever the consequences. It wasn't his fault, but the Gryffindor in him wouldn't allow him to lie. “Albus. My name is Albus Dumbledore. You are?”

“Alberta.” She sighed through her nose and stared at him with keen brown eyes. He could tell she believed him about as much as Auror Duke. “Look, I don't know why you seem to think you're an old failure from the forties, but we clearly caught you using underage magic.”

Albus clamped his teeth down in frustration. “I am not underage!”

“We clearly found...”

“YOU found nothing! I am not underage!” Albus stood in frustration.

“Look, you are clearly a mental case but this isn't my department.”  
She drew her wand and pointed it at the floor, between Albus and the doorway. She drew three lines upon it, bronze, silver, gold, and bronze the closest to Albus' toes. “All you have to do is cross these lines.”

  
Albus had had enough. “No, I will be leaving thank you very much, give me my wand back and...”

  
He moved to leave, and his toe crossed the silver line and POOF! It was like walking full force into a brick wall and he fell backward, his head just barely missing the edge of the desk as he fell flat on his arse.

  
“What....” He looked at his hands, which looked like he'd dipped them in silver paint. Reflexively he rubbed at it irritably.

  
Alberta loomed over hisprone form and stared down at him. “I see. Fifteen years old, old enough to know better, but young enough not to be held accountable.”

  
“But I'm not.....” Albus rubbed harder at the silver stain, reaching for his wand and remembering again he was wandless.

  
“You'll be returned to Hogwarts immediately. A portkey will be arranged as soon as possible. Good day to you.” Alberta dispelled the silver on Albus' hands and motioned for Auror Duke who escorted him out of the room with more force than necessary.

  
Albus considered arguing further, but surmised the best course of action would be to regain his wand. Auror Duke stopped at the entrance to an unmarked doorway and shoved him through.  
“What are you---” Albus turned to see a flash of red light and knew no more. 


End file.
